Amtrak Breakfast with Sharon and Eddie

Good morning, campers. We're up and at 'em as Amtrak prepares to slide into Minneapolis-St Paul about 4.5 hours behind schedule. Strong coffee and lively conversation with Eddie and Sharon, our breakfast mates in the dining car.

Eddie's an old-soul Navy reservist 

who lives on Whidbey Island, WA

Sharon from Seattle:

 We share energetic snark about the state of the world:

Passenger trains run late because freight trains have the right of way. So you might sit on a side rail while freight moves up or down the main line...and you might do this for quite a while. Amtrak's not your first choice for punctuality, but then I'm not certain air travel is so different.

We're now in the observation car, reading and writing to you. The downside to this moment is the guy proselytizing to anyone who will listen. He's tedious and we're both trying not to hear him, but we may be driven back to our room.